We\u2019ve put together 10 clever tips which can help you build a rota that is optimized for productivity, cost and customer service.<\/p>\n
1. Purchase the right cloud-based scheduling software.<\/span><\/h3>\nPurchasing a tool to automate scheduling is the most important thing you can do. You\u2019ll get the best results and save the most time if the scheduling tool is built into an all-in-one workforce management system that includes an employee self-service app with shift swapping, online leave management, time and attendance and payroll. That way you\u2019ll have all the data you need at your fingertips in the one system.<\/p>\n
It’s also vital to ensure that software helps to ensure relevant legislation compliance<\/a>. Choosing software that updates regular changes helps roster people compliantly and without making errors regarding break times, time between shifts and labour costs.<\/p>\nDownload our Quick Guide to Scheduling Software<\/a> for helpful hints and checklists.<\/p>\n2. Start with your budget.<\/span><\/h3>\nKnow what your staffing budget is daily and weekly, for both permanent and casual employees. Having a figure to work with gives you a starting point and puts your business\u2019s financial health first. Having a budget, together with revenue projections, is also essential to monitor labour efficiency (which is much easier with scheduling software that does this calculation for you!).<\/p>\n
Good scheduling software<\/a> allows you to enter your budget and will work out labour costs, according to the relevant legislation as you fill the rota, that way you can see in an instant if you are inside or outside your budget.<\/p>\n3. Know what roles you need \u2013 then fill your shifts.<\/span><\/h3>\nRather than looking at staff names first, think about the types of roles you need to fill, and how many of each you need according to the projected demand that day. In a restaurant setting, on weekends you may need more kitchen staff and extra bar staff, in retail you may need both a manager and assistant manager on duty. When you start filling your rota, add in your permanent staff first, and then your casuals.<\/p>\n
4. Make rota templates your best friend.<\/span><\/h3>\nThere really is no need to reinvent the proverbial wheel each week. Start by creating a template that already has shift patterns for your permanent staff in place. You can then use this as your basis each week so you can simply fill in the gaps or add roles and shifts during peak periods. You may wish to create several templates that help you deal with periods of high and low demand (e.g. Christmas rota versus standard mid-week rotas) to speed the process up even more.<\/p>\n
This can be done in Excel, however good scheduling software allows you to set shift patterns for each permanent member of staff and pre-fill your rota at the click of a button saving you the need to remember them or cross-reference with different files.<\/p>\n
5. Match peak demand with experience.<\/span><\/h3>\nThere is nothing more frustrating for customers who need to purchase something quickly, or need to eat and run, than slow, inexperienced staff. Busy periods are critical to your business\u2019s financial health and the protection of your reputation as a great place to shop or eat, so you need your best people on the floor.<\/p>\n
We all understand that people need to train, however, if you are facing a busy period, fill shifts with experienced staff and pair less experienced staff with an experienced manager during quiet periods. This way your new staff get the training and supervision they need, customers will be far more compassionate with staff wearing their \u201clearners\u201d badges, and you won\u2019t have to compromise on productivity or customer service.<\/p>\n
6. Have a strict deadline for leave requests and unavailability notices.<\/span><\/h3>\nLast-minute leave requests and unavailability notices elongate and already difficult task and can frustrate managers and the staff who must cover shifts at short notice. Sickness aside, set strict deadlines for the submission of leave and unavailability notices. Managers then have a much better chance at creating a great rota and will spend less time amending it and sending out annoying revisions!<\/p>\n
7. Use POS and timesheet data to guide your scheduling decisions.<\/span><\/h3>\nUsing the \u2018We should need this many people\u2019 method of scheduling usually results either in unnecessary and expensive use of overtime or customer service levels dropping due to understaffing.<\/p>\n
Good data will take out the guesswork of scheduling. Scheduled versus actual worked times are often not the same and can tell you a great deal about whether staff are regularly being sent home early as they aren\u2019t needed, or are working too much overtime. Take a glance at your sales data from your POS and look at accurate clock-in and out data (you\u2019ll need an online timeclock<\/a> for that) to give you an accurate idea of how many staff you need on, at what time, and on what day.<\/p>\n8. Get rid of messaging apps.<\/span><\/h3>\n
Download our Quick Guide to Scheduling Software<\/a> for helpful hints and checklists.<\/p>\n Know what your staffing budget is daily and weekly, for both permanent and casual employees. Having a figure to work with gives you a starting point and puts your business\u2019s financial health first. Having a budget, together with revenue projections, is also essential to monitor labour efficiency (which is much easier with scheduling software that does this calculation for you!).<\/p>\n Good scheduling software<\/a> allows you to enter your budget and will work out labour costs, according to the relevant legislation as you fill the rota, that way you can see in an instant if you are inside or outside your budget.<\/p>\n Rather than looking at staff names first, think about the types of roles you need to fill, and how many of each you need according to the projected demand that day. In a restaurant setting, on weekends you may need more kitchen staff and extra bar staff, in retail you may need both a manager and assistant manager on duty. When you start filling your rota, add in your permanent staff first, and then your casuals.<\/p>\n There really is no need to reinvent the proverbial wheel each week. Start by creating a template that already has shift patterns for your permanent staff in place. You can then use this as your basis each week so you can simply fill in the gaps or add roles and shifts during peak periods. You may wish to create several templates that help you deal with periods of high and low demand (e.g. Christmas rota versus standard mid-week rotas) to speed the process up even more.<\/p>\n This can be done in Excel, however good scheduling software allows you to set shift patterns for each permanent member of staff and pre-fill your rota at the click of a button saving you the need to remember them or cross-reference with different files.<\/p>\n There is nothing more frustrating for customers who need to purchase something quickly, or need to eat and run, than slow, inexperienced staff. Busy periods are critical to your business\u2019s financial health and the protection of your reputation as a great place to shop or eat, so you need your best people on the floor.<\/p>\n We all understand that people need to train, however, if you are facing a busy period, fill shifts with experienced staff and pair less experienced staff with an experienced manager during quiet periods. This way your new staff get the training and supervision they need, customers will be far more compassionate with staff wearing their \u201clearners\u201d badges, and you won\u2019t have to compromise on productivity or customer service.<\/p>\n Last-minute leave requests and unavailability notices elongate and already difficult task and can frustrate managers and the staff who must cover shifts at short notice. Sickness aside, set strict deadlines for the submission of leave and unavailability notices. Managers then have a much better chance at creating a great rota and will spend less time amending it and sending out annoying revisions!<\/p>\n Using the \u2018We should need this many people\u2019 method of scheduling usually results either in unnecessary and expensive use of overtime or customer service levels dropping due to understaffing.<\/p>\n Good data will take out the guesswork of scheduling. Scheduled versus actual worked times are often not the same and can tell you a great deal about whether staff are regularly being sent home early as they aren\u2019t needed, or are working too much overtime. Take a glance at your sales data from your POS and look at accurate clock-in and out data (you\u2019ll need an online timeclock<\/a> for that) to give you an accurate idea of how many staff you need on, at what time, and on what day.<\/p>\n2. Start with your budget.<\/span><\/h3>\n
3. Know what roles you need \u2013 then fill your shifts.<\/span><\/h3>\n
4. Make rota templates your best friend.<\/span><\/h3>\n
5. Match peak demand with experience.<\/span><\/h3>\n
6. Have a strict deadline for leave requests and unavailability notices.<\/span><\/h3>\n
7. Use POS and timesheet data to guide your scheduling decisions.<\/span><\/h3>\n
8. Get rid of messaging apps.<\/span><\/h3>\n
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